Upside - by Will Grant

Heap returns to Baltimore after an injury plagued season in 2004. His ankle injury forced him to miss ten games last season, and he finished 23rd among fantasy TEs. Considering that he was probably drafted in the top five for TES in most fantasy leagues, he was a huge let down for everyone who drafted him last year.

Heap is still recovering from surgery and hasn’t been able to participate in the spring and summer mini camps. However, he’s working hard and lifting weights, and should be ready by the time the season starts.

The upside for Heap is Baltimore’s decision to turn up the passing game. The Ravens have finished dead last in passing yards for the last two seasons, and since 1998 they have not finished higher than 17th. They want to change that and started by firing OC Matt Cavanaugh and hiring former NYG head coach Jim Fassel. Fassel plans to bring in a more aggressive passing attack.

In addition to Fassel, the Ravens dumped chronic underachiever Travis Taylor and brought in former Tennessee #1 Derrick Mason. They also drafted Mark Clayton with the 22nd overall pick in this year’s draft. These two should help take some of the defensive pressure off of Heap, and allow him to work the middle of the field. Here Heap can use his size and athleticism to create mismatches that QB Kyle Boller can exploit.

The key thing to notice about Heap is his success from last season, despite his nagging injuries. Even though he only played in six games last season, he finished 2nd on the team in TD receptions and 3rd on the team in total receptions. If he can stay healthy for the entire season, Heap should return to the top five for fantasy TEs.

Downside - by Chase Stuart

Todd Heap has seen his production regress since his breakout year in 2002, but there are other reasons for concern:

• Derrick Mason – Mason led all WRs with 96 catches in 2004. He’s averaged 5.6 receptions per game the last four years (90 receptions over a 16 game season), and will clearly become the main target for the Ravens. Quite an improvement over Travis Taylor.
• Mark Clayton – Clayton, a very polished route runner with excellent after the catch ability, may be the most NFL-ready rookie receiver. He’s the all time Oklahoma leader in receptions (221), receiving yards (3,241), receiving touchdowns (31) and 100-yard receiving games (15).
• Injuries – Heap underwent off-season ankle surgery, and is currently rehabbing from shoulder surgery. He will likely miss all of training camp and most of the pre-season. There’s no guarantee that Heap will be healthy and in football shape by week one.

Heap’s a very talented tight end, but he benefited from the Ravens lack of receiving options. The Ravens have had only one 40 reception season by a player in the Kyle Boller era, and that was Heap in 2003. The Ravens added perhaps the best pass catchers in both free agency and the draft, while Heap underwent two surgeries. His situation was optimal for fantasy purposes, but that will likely decline significantly in 2005. Don’t forget that since the drafting of Kyle Boller in 2003, the Ravens rank:

• 31st in pass attempts (Atlanta)
• 31st in completions (Atlanta)
• 32nd in passing yards
• 30th in yards per pass attempt (Chicago, Detroit)
• T-30th in touchdown passes (Chicago, t-New York Giants)

During Heap’s Pro Bowl seasons in 2002 and 2003, he led all TEs with 257 targets (Tony Gonzalez was second with 210). Heap should be targeted noticeably less often with a much improved supporting cast.